“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest” Elie Wiesel

In light of the recent disruptions in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen, I thought that todays quote to be particularly apt. My personal opinion on the protests in Egypt is that taking a stand on issues that underline our basic human rights is admirable. I am particularly humbled to see that many Egyptians, regardless of their political or religious inclinations, banded together to provide neighbourhood watches and look after their fellow man during looting and riots.

Elie Wiesel is a Holocaust survivor, author of 57 books and Nobel Peace Prize winner. You can view more of his fascinating life story and powerful messages by visiting the Elie Wiesel Foundation website.

Many of us have always suspected that for some gay male designers, the perfect woman looks like…..a young boy. That’s the body shape of the models you see on catwalks and in so many fashion advertising campaigns. No hips, no bust, minimal thighs and body fat. If this is your natural shape and you are a woman, super. Do not read this as an attack on you. But the vast majority of women do not look like this.

And yet, 99% of the women we see on designer catwalks and in ad campaigns DO.

What’s up with that.

So now, could it be that designers are just going to dispense with women altogether when it comes to modelling women’s fashion? Are they just going to start using young boys?

The 19-year-old from Melbourne created a sensation when he closed the Jean-Paul Gaultier womens wear show dressed as a bride, complete with a mohawk, black veil and long black gloves, reported the Herald Sun.

The gender-bending turn, in front of guests including French Vogue boss Emmanuelle Alt and actor Catherine Deneuve, came after Pejic closed Gaultier’s menswear show last week dressed as a woman. Pejic, who has been dubbed “James Blond”, is also the face of Gaultier’s new advertising campaign and appears in the latest Marc Jacobs campaign.

His look has made him one of the fashion scene’s most popular new stars, according to Matthew Anderson, director of Pejic’s Australian agency, Chadwick Models. “The success and embracement of Andrej in the fashion world has been phenomenal,” Anderson said. “No one is pretending that this is the new norm, but what Andrej is doing is providing a canvas for designers who have always pushed boundaries.

Designers Jean Paul Gaultier and Marc Jacobs are two of androgynous model Andrej Pejic’s biggest fans. JPG used him to open and close his recent women’s couture show, which is code for “I think this model is the most important and significant one in my show, the one who embodies the image I’m trying to convey”.

The final outfit in most haute couture shows (where the outfits are custom made and cost up to $200K) is the bridal gown. And that’s what Andrej wore for Jean Paul Gaultier.

Mind you, this is the same designer who gave us the Madonna conical bra-top look way back when so I’m thinking he doesn’t have much hands-on experience with the female form and what actual women might like to wear.

I think Andrej Pejic is striking. I understand that fashion designers like to push boundaries and pull publicity. I get that catwalk shows are often theatre. But I also think there’s something a little darker going on.

The fashion world has huge influence. Remember heroin chic? Remember when the models they sent down their runways looked like starving, wasted junkies? That was a dark time for fashion and a shameful one. You might think that what happens on a catwalk is totally removed from your life but it’s not. The clothes that filter into Sportsgirl and Katies and K-Mart are ultimately influenced by what goes on at the pointy end of fashion.

So the use of teenage boys to model clothes for adult women? How does that work exactly?

I have nothing against Andrej Pejic – I can appreciate his beauty and I adore that he is breaking down some barriers about gender and sexuality. I love looking at photos of him.

But taking a more helicopter view, I’m uncomfortable with the idea that according to some of the most influential men in the fashion world, the most desirable female form is male. What do you think?

“Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.” Zig Ziglar

Zig Ziglar (also known as Hilary Hinton) is a motivation speaker and founder of Ziglar, a motivational and personal development company in America.

Often we misunderstand the meaning of success, deeming ourselves only successful when we have reached a specific goal. The credit is due to those who try, because the goal is always there to be attained – it’s the effort and hard work you put in to achieve it that deserves the recognition. So even by taking that first step towards something, whether it be personal or business, and you’re one step closer to being all that you can be.

The joys of being connected to the many social media networks offer opportunities to discover and learn about new things. I love discovering a new band or producer/DJ that creates music that moves me. During my 8 years in London, I spent a great deal of time pursuing my DJ career and have always had that affinity with music – a bond with the emotive power of music. So when I joined Twitter and discovered a cheeky add from Slutterhouse, I moseyed on over to their website to check out their content. Slutterhouse is comprised of Rabih Mick Salloum and Nabil Saliba – “two very different personalities” according to their bio. These artistically different musicians, who are originally from Beirut but now reside in glamorous Paris, have managed to create a unique, electro-pop sound that takes the genre into a darker, edgier side – and I love it. Their sound is fresh, raw and bursting with talent. Their lyrics are powerful, sometimes moody and emotional, sometimes laid back lounge – and offer an array of sounds without sounding too similar.

Their debut album ‘Made in Dance‘ was released in 2009 all over the Middle East. Their last album, a Remix EP of “Inside the Station” (released April 2010) features some tasty remixes of this popular track which has gained them worldwide recognition which will no doubt continue to grow. Fast forward to 2011, and the duo have already racked up an impressive list of gigs during 2010, as well as a number of prestigious mentions across the web.

My favourite track has to be the P. Toile (Berlin) Remix of ‘Inside the Station’ on the EP – head over to their website to check out the other audio samples if you haven’t already. Their new single “Bitter Green’ is due for release on their new album, and is already showing the promising signs of their unique sound evolving and maturing. No doubt we will be hearing a lot more from Slutterhouse in 2011 and the years to come!

You can follow Slutterhouse on Twitter @Slutterhouse – their regular Tweets make for interesting reading too.

“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.” Nelson Mandela, 92.

Take heed with your actions, and let them be motivated with good intentions. To make a decision, whether for the benefit of yourself or others, that is both thought through AND felt, can only lead to good outcomes.

I will make my first blog entry short and sweet before I begin. Welcome, and thank-you for reading my blog. I’ve just updated my About page which gives you the tip of the iceberg, so stay tuned for more of my posts! My username, “Aberrant Venus” means eccentric or unusual woman, so be prepared for all sorts of posts from me. I call myself a hybrid blogger because my posts are not focused on a particular subject, instead, they will be a melee of whatever I read, see or do. My blog and Twitterverse are a snapshot of my world, so I hope you find some enjoyment out of it!